Anti-fracking groups set to meet ahead of inquiry

Anti-fracking campaigners are to stage a meeting for the public to find out about the Government’s support for fracking.

Friends of the Earth, in conjunction with Frack Free Lancashire, is holding the public meeting tomorrow night, just days ahead of the public inquiry into two bids to frack on the Fylde.

The meeting is entitled “Is Westminster Planning to Force Fracking on Lancashire?” and will take place at at Preston Minster on Church Street, Preston, from 7pm until 9pm.

Speakers will include Asad Rehman from Friends of the Earth; Lancashire County Coun Steven Holgate and the residents from rural communities under threat at Preston New Road and Roseacre Woods.

A spokesman said: “This week, a letter leaked to Friends of the Earth which revealed the Government is considering taking fracking decisions away from local councils in order to try to roll out industrial-scale shale gas fracking production ‘within 10 years’.”

Frack Free Lancashire is also supporting a photographic exhibition to be staged at Blackpool Football Ground starting next Tuesday when the Government planning inspector is to start the public inquiry.

Members of the group have supplied images for the study.

Entitled Through Our Eyes, it is a study by Dr Ania Szolucha from the University of Bergen in Norway.

Dr Ania Szolucha said: “It is a photovoice exhibition that shows what it means to live under the threat of fracking.

“The exhibition is a reality check on some of the promises made to the local communities by the government and the shale gas industry.”

The fracking public inquiry is due to start next Tuesday at Bloomfield Road, Blackpool.